Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of training framing from supervisors on trainee self‐efficacy and training motivation, and further test how these variables subsequently influence overall training effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The design of the study includes longitudinal, self‐report and objective measures. Data were collected from 126 employees who entered a training program aiming at introduction of computer software operation and design. Participants were asked to complete three questionnaires at the beginning, the midpoint, and the end of the course. Finally, the trainees' learning performances were obtained from the test held at the end of the training program. Findings – Confirms the importance of supervisors training framing – which predicts the self‐efficacy and training motivation of trainee, subsequently affects their reactions, learning and transfer motivation. Research limitations/implications – The sample of this study consisted of more young employees (the oldest was 35 years old), which perhaps limits its generalization. While this study found that supervisors' training framing impacted trainees' attitudes and in turn further influenced their training outcomes, other contextual determinants of trainees' motivation, such as another type of training framing, post‐training accountability, and organizational climate remain unexplored. Future research should further examine the interactive effects of these variables on training effectiveness. Practical implications – Mainly, organizations should increase trainees' self‐efficacy and training motivation prior to the actual training program. Specifically, to increase trainees' self‐efficacy and training motivation, managers can provide training‐related information, such as training attributes, training environment, content complexity, and the like. If trainees perceive the information as realistic, the more self‐efficacy they will generate, the more motivated they are for training, and finally, the more effective training outcomes they will achieve. Originality/value – This paper has enhanced our understanding in modeling trainees' attitudes and training effectiveness. The results have suggested that both individual and contextual factors impacted training outcomes, and offer one practical implication to organizational training.
